Office machine arm rest attachment



Aug. 30, 1960 o. B. HOUGH, JR

OFFICE MACHINE ARM REST ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 14, 1958 20 0770 5. HOUGH, a/z

u ill A 7' TOF/V J United States Patent O M OFFICE MACHINE ARM REST ATTACHMENT om) B. Hough, Jr., 1802 Atapha Nelle, Tallahassee, Fla.

Filed Jan. 14, 1958, Ser. No. 708,820

4 Claims. 01. 248-118) This invention relates to a device attachable to any of various oifice machines, such as adding machines, calculating machines, etc.

Considerable discomfort is experienced by a user of machines of the type described, particularly when it is necessary to operate the machine for long periods of time. This of course often happens, and especially is this true in certain occupations, as for example accounting clerks, statistical clerks, etc.

The discomfort results from the fact that one must exert a physical effort to hold the forearm or elbow of the arm that is operating the machine, in an elevated position. As a result, the arm becomes tired, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide means which will provide a rest for the arm, while the machine is being used.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an arm rest of the character described which will be readily adjustable to selected elevations, that is, in a vertical direction, to locate the supported portion of the arm at a certain height, relative to the machine being perated, desired by the machine operator.

Another object of the invention is to permit, independently of or in conjunction with the vertical adjustment, a substantially horizontal adjustment, whereby the user may locate the supported portion of the arm at a selected distance from the machine keyboard, considered in the sense of a horizontal direction.

Another object is to provide a machine of the character described that will have a rest member or arm supporting plate that will be particularly shaped to provide a practical, comfortable support for the arm.

Another object is to provide a device of the character stated which will be adapted for supporting either the forearm or the elbow, whichever is desired by the user.

Still another object is to provide a device as described that will not require modification or redesign of the otfice machine in any way, will be swiftly and easily attachable to or detachable from the machine, and will be usable with machines of various makes, sizes, and types.

Still another object is to mount the device in such a way that when not in use, it may be swiftly adjusted to an out-of-the-way position.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an arm rest attachment for ofiice machines, according to the present invention, a portion being broken away;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof as seen from the right of Figure 1, on a reduced scale, an associated ofiice machine being illustrated in dotted lines;

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the device .as seen from the left of Figure 2, the scale being increased above that of Figure 2, the ofiice machine being shown in dotted lines; and

Patented Aug. 30, 1960 Figure 4 is a sectional view, on the scale of Figure 3, taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the reference character M designates a machine of the type used in offices, as for example an adding or calculating machine. Such a machine generally has a relatively heavy concentration of weight in relation to its size, and as will presently appear, the weight of the machine is used to hold in place the arm rest 10 constituting the present invention.

The arm rest 10 includes a base 12, which is stationary, said base being formed from a single piece of bar stock having the requisite characteristics of rigidity. The base 12 includes an elongated, horizontally disposed base plate 16, of substantial length, extending in a fore-and-aft direction, that is, extending from the front of the machine to the back, with the front and rear feet of one side of the machine being disposed directly upon the base plate.

The base plate 16 is integral, along its outer side edge, with an upwardly projecting side wall 14, said side Wall extending upwardly in close proximity to one side of the machine M as clearly seen in Figure 3. The side wall 14 is disposed at the front end of the base plate, and extends along only a short portion of the overall length of the base plate.

Formed in the side wall 14, adjacent the front edge thereof, is a vertical slot 18 closed at its opposite ends. Extending through the slot is a laterally outwardly, horizontally projecting bolt 20, the head 21 of which (see Figures 3 and 4) bears against the inner surface of the side Wall 14. A sleeve 22 loosely receives the bolt, said sleeve having a smooth-walled bore through which the bolt extends. The bolt projects beyond the outer end of the sleeve, and threaded on the projecting end of the bolt is a wing nut 24 which may be turned home against the adjacent, outer extremity of the sleeve, so as to lockably engage the bolt in selected positions to which it is adjusted vertically within the slot 18. i i

The base plate 16 is formed With a longitudinal, upwardly projecting, low flange 28 on the outer longitudinal edge of the base plate. Flange 28 extends the full distance between the wall 14 and the rear end of the base plate, and rigidifies the base plate against longitudinal flexure. This is of importance in view of the fact that the base plate is engaged by the machine only at the front andrear ends of the base plate, so that the midlength portion of the base might otherwise tend to flex upwardly under the bending moment created by Weight exerted upon the rest element of the device. Flange 28 prevents said flexure, and provides a rigid construction for the base plate over the full length thereof.

A rest element support arm 30 is of elongated, straight formation, and is tubularly formed in a preferred embodiment of the invention. Arm 30, adjacent its inner extremity, has a transverse opening receiving a pivot pin 32, said pivot pin being carried by wall 14 and extending laterally outwardly from said wall, with the arm 30 extending in longitudinally contacting relation to the outer surface of the wall 14. Ann 30 is thus mounted upon the Wall for vertical swinging movement, and is limited against downward swinging movement beyond a predetermined, use position by the adjustably located, sleeveenclosed bolt 20. The bolt 20 and sleeve 22, thus, con- I stituting a vertically adjustable stop on wall 14, for arm Carried by the outer end portion 34 is a rest elemenjt or I plate 36, and as shown to particular advantage in Figures 3 and 4, this has a top surface 38 which is inclined transversely, being disposed over substantially its full width approximately in a plane disposed at an acute angle to the plane of the bottom surface of the support plate. As will be noted, the top surface 38 inclines upwardly, transversely of the plate, in a direction away from the inside longitudinal edge of the plate. At its high side, surface 38 is formed with an upwardly curving portion merging into a longitudinal rib or projection 40.

This particular slope and contour of the plate 36 has the distinct advantage of providing maximum comfort for the user, with the possibility of slippage of the forearm or any other portion of the users arm that is supported upon the plate 36, in a direction away from the machine, being reduced to a minimum.

Plate 36 is connected to the extension 34 through the provision of a stud 42 which is fixedly secured to and projects downwardly from the midlength portion of the plate 36, slightly to one side of the midwidth area of the plate. The major portion of the area of the plate, as will be seen in Figure 3, is disposed laterally inwardly of the length of the tube 34. In any event, the depending stud 42 extends through a longitudinal slot 43 formed in extension 34, and threaded onto the depending, lower end of the stud 42 is a wing nut 44.

It will be seen that the plate can thus be adjusted in the direction of its length, that is, longitudinally of the extension 34, toward and away from the front of the ofiice machine M. In each position to which the plate is so adjusted, it can be moved upwardly or downwardly, that is, adjusted ina vertical direction, by means of ad'- justable positioning of the stop pin or bolt 20. The stop pin only limits downward movement of the arm 30 beyond a predetermined selected position. It does not limit the arm against upward movement. Therefore, whenever it is not desired to use the device, thearrn 30 is merely swung upwardly about its pivot axis to a position in which it will be out of the way.

It will be noted that the device needs no connections whatever to the machine. Instead, the weight of the machine holds the device in place, and no clamp or equivalent means are employed. The base is merely clamped securely between the machine and the surface of the desk, and it has been found in practice that this arrangement is entirely sufiicient to insure stability, so that the oflice machine can be operated with ease, and without arm fatigue such as often occurs when a machine of-this type is used for a prolonged period of time;

In the event the machine is so light that the weight thereof would not be sufficient to hold the base down, a suction device can be provided at the rear of the base plate ,16, engaging a suitable adjacent surface, so as to anchor the arm rest and thereby stabilize the same.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An arm rest attachment for office machines comprising a base plate adapted for engagement with an oflice machine; an upstanding wall on the base plate; an elongated arm connected at one end to the wall and projecting outwardly therefrom; and armrest means mounted upon the other end of the arm and comprising a generally rectangular plate elongated in the direction of the length of the arm, said plate having atopsurface' of the plate and merging smoothly into a more gradually inclined arm support area, said support area declining continuously over the full distance from said inner side of the rib to the opposite side of the plate, at an angle of inclination constant for substantially the entire amount of said distance.

2. An arm rest attachment for an ofiice machine, comprising an elongated base plate adapted to extend along one side of an office machine in a position such that the weight of the oflice machine bears upon said plate; an upstanding wall rigid with and extending upwardly from one end of said plate; an elongated arm pivotally connected at one end to said wall for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, between a use position projecting forwardly from said plate and wall, and an inoperative position in which it is extended rearwardly from said wall, said wall having a slot extending in an up-and-down direction; stop means on the wall projecting outwardly from the wall below the arm, so as to limit the arm against downwardly movement beyond said use position thereof, said stop means including a horizontal bolt extending through the slot and having a head bearing against a one face of the wall, a sleeve on the bolt having one end abutting against the other face of the wall, said sleeve underlying the arm to provide a rest therefor, and a nut threaded on the bolt and abutting against the other end of the sleeve, so as to bind the bolt head and sleeve against the wall in selected positions 'to which the bolt is adjusted along the length of the slot; and arm rest means carried by the other end of the arm.

3. An arm rest attachment for an ofiice machine, comprising an elongated base plate adapted to extend along one side of an office machine and having a fiat body portion locatable in a position such that the weight of the office machine bears upon said plate to hold the same in place independently of any connection of the plate to the machine; an upstanding, flat wall rigid with and extending upwardly from one longitudinal edge of said plate, said wall having an inner vertical face for engagement against an adjacent side of the machine, and an outer vertical face substantially in registration with said edge; an elongated ann pivotally connected at one end to said a wall for swinging movement about a horizontal axis between a use position projecting forwardly from said plate and wall, and an inoperative position in which it is extended rearwardly from said wall, said arm overlying said outer face and being disposed wholly to one side of the plane of the wall; stop means on the wall projecting outwardly from the outer face of the wall below the arm, so as to limit the arm against downward movement beyond said use position thereof; and arm rest means carried by the other end of the arm, said stop means being mounted on the wall for vertical adjustment, so as to adjustably establish the use position of the arm, said arm rest means being mounted upon the arm for adjustment longitudinally thereof, whereby said arm rest means may be adjusted in a horizontal direction toward and away from said oflice machine in the use position of the arm, and adjusted in a vertical direction in each position of horizontal adjustment of the arm responsive to adjustable positioning of the stop means. i

4. An arm rest attachment for a table-supported oflice machine, comprising: a horizontal base plate having a flat, elongated shape for disposition of the same along one side of the machine with the weight of the machine imposed thereon; a fiat, vertical, upstanding wall integrally formed upon one longitudinal edge of said base plate as a longitudinal flange of the base plate at one end of the base plate; an elongated arm having a pivotal connection at one end to one end of said wall and swinging in a vertical plane in longitudinally contacting relation vto the wall to each of a plurality of use positions of the arm, said arm generally paralleling the length of the base plate and projecting at its other end beyond the other end of the wall; stop means mounted on said other end of the wall in spaced relation to the pivot axis of the arm, said stop means projecting laterally from the wall below the arm across the plane of swinging movement of the arm to limit the arm against downward swinging movement beyond a selected use position thereof; and a rest element secured to said other end of the arm and formed as a plate of wedge-shaped cross section, said element having a flat underside extending in longitudinally contacting relation to the arm, and having a top surface inclined transversely over substantially its full width at an acute angle to said underside of the rest element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Munson Apr. 25, 1882 Jurey Apr. 5, 1887 Aiken Mar. 15, 1910 conning Mar. 2, 1915 FOREIGN PATENTS Denmark Aug. 28, 1944 Germany Mar. 16, 1932 

